August 9, 1828 Earthquake: Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan on August 9, 1828 at 16:00 UTC, 10 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- August 9, 1828
- Time
- 16:00 UTC
- Place
- Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.700° N, 48.400° E
- Country
- Azerbaijan
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The 1828 Shamakhi event destroyed 526 buildings across the region. (reference #14165)
233 buildings were destroyed In Old Shemakha, 197 were damaged; 293 buildings were destroyed in the surrounding villages (reference #223)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 1139, Gyzndzha, Azerbaijan
- November 1667, Shemakha (Samaxi), Azerbaijan
- January 14, 1668, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- February 13, 1902, Semacha, N Iran, Azerbaijan
- January 28, 1872, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- June 11, 1859, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- November 25, 2000, Baku, Azerbaijan
- June 4, 1999, Agdas, Ucar, Agali, Azerbaijan
- June 5, 2018, Shaki-Zaqatala, Azerbaijan
- January 1, 1671, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- September 2, 1869, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- February 5, 2019, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- December 18, 1880, Semacha, Somaki, Armenia, Azerbaijan
- May 11, 2017, Ardabil, Iran, Azerbaijan
- January 2, 1842, Apscheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1828The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1718.